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Fire chief praises new cancer data registry

Tahlequah Daily Press (OK)

July 13--A new law that helps pinpoint exposure of firefighters to cancer-causing agents is being praised by Tahlequah Fire Chief Ray Hammons.

The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2018, signed into law July 7, will establish and maintain a voluntary registry to collect data on cancer cases among firefighters. The bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a registry featuring history and occupational information that can be linked to existing data in state cancer registries.

The material must be used to improve monitoring of cancer among firefighters and to gather and publish epidemiological information on the disease.

"I'm very much in support of this," said Tahlequah Fire Chief Ray Hammons. "It has been a long battle and a long process to get this done. This will better monitor and help reduce firefighter deaths to cancer."

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, firefighters have a 9 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14 percent higher risk of dying from it than the general U.S. population.

"Firefighters have a high chance of being exposed to cancer-causing agents," Hammons said. "We have twice the risks because of the environment we work in. In the past 15 years, firefighters have really pushed for better equipment to protect us from those cancer-causing particles."

Hammons said firefighters have a 50 percent higher risk of contracting testicular cancer and Hodgkin's lymphoma, and a 33 percent chance of developing skin and brain cancer, among others.

"Cancer is a tremendous concern among firefighters and their families. With the elevated risk associated to our jobs, we think this registry will make a difference in the future generations of firefighters by identifying the risk, causal factors, and impact on firefighters," said Dereck Cassady, Oklahoma State Firefighters Association president.

To collect information for the registry, the CDC may incorporate questions into existing public health surveys, questionnaires and other databases. The organization must develop a strategy to maximize participation in the registry; offer guidance for states and firefighting agencies regarding the registry; encourage inclusion in the registry of data on minority, female and volunteer firefighters; and seek feedback from nonfederal experts.

"This is an important event for firefighters and we are pleased to have worked with our senators and representatives in Congress to make this happen," said Steve Lumry, OSFA executive director.

President Donald Trump signed the legislation, which was co-sponsored by 188 members of Congress.

Hammons said there are 15,000 firefighters in Oklahoma and 13 departments in Cherokee County.

"Cancer is nondiscriminatory," he said. "A firefighter is a firefighter, and they knowingly put themselves at risk."